''This entry was originally written by [[Roger D. Joslyn]], [[CG]], [[FUGA]], [[FGBS]], [[FASG]] for [[Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources]].''

''This entry was originally written by [[Roger D. Joslyn]], [[CG]], [[FUGA]], [[FGBS]], [[FASG]] for [[Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources]].''

{{Template:New York (Red Book)}}

{{Template:New York (Red Book)}}

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[[File:New-York2-lores.jpg|thumb|left|County Map of New York]]

Since 1919 New York has had a system of local historians who are appointed to collect and preserve old records. While each county, town, and village should have a historian, not all vacancies are always filled, and of those that are, the knowledge and helpfulness in answering inquiries varies. In most cases it is best to start with the county historian, whose office may contain original or transcribed county, church, cemetery, newspaper, and other material, and in some cases, specialized indexes to these and other types of records. See ''Directory of New York State County and Municipal Historians'' (n.p., 1991), available for $20 from Directory, RFD #2, Box 228, Bath, NY 14810. A list of county historians can be found at [http://www.tier.net/~aphnys/cohistorians.html www.tier.net/~aphnys/cohistorians.html].

Since 1919 New York has had a system of local historians who are appointed to collect and preserve old records. While each county, town, and village should have a historian, not all vacancies are always filled, and of those that are, the knowledge and helpfulness in answering inquiries varies. In most cases it is best to start with the county historian, whose office may contain original or transcribed county, church, cemetery, newspaper, and other material, and in some cases, specialized indexes to these and other types of records. See ''Directory of New York State County and Municipal Historians'' (n.p., 1991), available for $20 from Directory, RFD #2, Box 228, Bath, NY 14810. A list of county historians can be found at [http://www.tier.net/~aphnys/cohistorians.html www.tier.net/~aphnys/cohistorians.html].

Line 46:

Line 48:

| || colspan="10" | Chautauqua was attached to Niagara County until 1811, but records kept in Buffalo were burned by the British in 1813.

| || colspan="10" | Chautauqua was attached to Niagara County until 1811, but records kept in Buffalo were burned by the British in 1813.

| || colspan="10" | Almost uninhabited until 1701, Dutchess was administered by Ulster County from that time until at least 1713. Some older records, including marriages, 1908—35; state and federal censuses; tax records, 1854—1954; and the “Ancient Documents” series are at the County Records Center and Archives, 27 High St., Poughkeepsie 12601.

| || colspan="10" | Hamilton remained attached to Montgomery County until 1838 and then briefly to Fulton County. Earlier surrogates’ records are evidently in Montgomery, Fulton, and St. Lawrence counties. See Tree Talks 20 (1980): 166.

| || colspan="10" | * At the City Register’s Office, 210 Joralemon St., Rm 2, Brooklyn 11201. Many Surrogate’s files before about 1870 are now at the NYC Archives and on microfilm at the Family History Library.

| || colspan="10" | * At the City Register’s Office, 66 John Street, 13th Floor, New York 10038. Early records of the county clerk are in Division of Old Records, 31 Chambers Street, Rm 703. **Pre-1830 Surrogate’s files and inventories are not known to have survived.

| || colspan="10" | Records for the period 1813—21 are in Buffalo, which was the county seat of Niagara until Erie was created; earlier records were destroyed when the British burned the Buffalo courthouse in 1813.

| || colspan="10" | *These records–and mortgages to 1920–are at the Ontario County Department of Records, Archives, and Information Management Services, 3051 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua 14424; later deeds and all indexes are at the county clerk’s; later Surrogate’s Court records are at the courthouse, Canandaigua 14424.

| || colspan="10" | The explanation for the delay in the Surrogate’s records is not fully known, but some estate records during this period may have perished in an early fire in Spencer, once the county seat.

Since 1919 New York has had a system of local historians who are appointed to collect and preserve old records. While each county, town, and village should have a historian, not all vacancies are always filled, and of those that are, the knowledge and helpfulness in answering inquiries varies. In most cases it is best to start with the county historian, whose office may contain original or transcribed county, church, cemetery, newspaper, and other material, and in some cases, specialized indexes to these and other types of records. See Directory of New York State County and Municipal Historians (n.p., 1991), available for $20 from Directory, RFD #2, Box 228, Bath, NY 14810. A list of county historians can be found at www.tier.net/~aphnys/cohistorians.html.

Publication of town records is not widespread, with the exception of those for Queens (including Nassau), Suffolk, and Westchester counties. Various items from town records have been presented in Tree Talks (see Periodicals). See also Harold R. Nestler, A Bibliography of New York State Communities: Counties, Towns, Villages (Port Washington, N.Y.: Ira J. Friedman, 1968).

Some New York counties have set up record centers or archives such as are found in Broome, Cayuga, Montgomery, Ontario, Rockland, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Westchester, and other counties. While most initial inquiries about records should be made with the county clerk and county Surrogate’s clerk, the information sought might actually now be housed in a county records center/archives. This practice will doubtless continue in New York, especially for older records.

All the counties in New York, past and present, are listed below. The first column indicates the map coordinates. The name of the county and the mailing address of the county clerk, who is in charge of deeds, mortgages, copies of marriage records (1908–ca. 1935), divorces, court records, state censuses, and other records, is in the second column. The year the county was created follows and, where applicable, the parent county or counties from which it was formed. The date the earliest deed was recorded is in the fourth column. County deeds and mortgages not found with the county clerk are also indicated here. The last column shows the date of the earliest county Surrogate Court record, followed by the mailing address of the county Surrogate’s clerk, if not the same as that of the county clerk. Some counties have copies or abstracts of earlier deeds and wills from parent counties.

It should be kept in mind that the names of the parent county or counties are those from which the new county was first formed in the year indicated. Many changes took place later, at which times whole towns or parts of them were annexed to or from the newer county. For example, Yates County was created in 1823 from part of Ontario County; the following year, two towns were added to Yates from Steuben County. For the specifics of other changes, consult gazetteers, county directories, and county histories.

Cattaraugus had no county government until 1817. Its records were first kept in Buffalo, but they were destroyed in 1813 when the British burned the courthouse. In 1812 Cattaraugus was annexed to Allegany County, and from 1814—17 county records for the eastern towns of Olean and Ischua were kept in Belmont and for the western town of Perry, in Buffalo.

Q10

Cayuga

160 Genesee St., Auburn 13021

1799

Onondaga

1799

1799, 153 Genesee St., Auburn 13021-3471

Charlotte

(see Washington)

C1

Chautauqua

1 N. Erie St./P.O. Box 170, Mayville 14757-0170

1808

Genesee

1811

1811, 3 N. Erie St., Mayville 14757

Chautauqua was attached to Niagara County until 1811, but records kept in Buffalo were burned by the British in 1813.

S10

Chemung

210 Lake St. , P.O. Box 588, Elmira 14902-0588

1836

Tioga

1836

1836, 224 Lake St. , P.O. Box 588, Elmira 14902-0588

R12

Chenango

5 Court St., Norwich 13815

1798

Herkimer/Tioga

1798

1798

L16

Clinton

137 Margaret St., Plattsburgh 12901-2933

1788

Washington

1788

1790

R16

Columbia

560 Warren St., Hudson 12534

1786

Albany

1786

1787, 401 Union St., Hudson 12534

Cornwall

1683

original

Located in Maine, this county was transferred to Massachusetts in 1686, but no longer exists in name. See Collections of the Maine Historical Society, first series, vol. 5 (1857).

Q11

Cortland

46 Greenbush St., Ste. 101, Cortland 13045-3702

1808

Onondaga

1808

1808, 46 Greenbush St., Ste. 301, Cortland 13045-2725

Cumberland

1766

Albany

Disallowed the year after it was formed, Cumberland was re-established in 1768 and ceased to exist 1777—78 when Vermont declared itself a republic.

S13

Delaware

P.O. Box 426, Delhi 13753-0426

1797

Ulster/Otsego

1797

1797, 3 Court St., Delhi 13753

Dukes

1683

original

Dukes County was annexed to Massachusetts in 1692 (see Massachusetts).

T15

Dutchess

22 Market St., Poughkeepsie 12601

1683

original

1718

1752, 10 Market St., Poughkeepsie 12601

Almost uninhabited until 1701, Dutchess was administered by Ulster County from that time until at least 1713. Some older records, including marriages, 1908—35; state and federal censuses; tax records, 1854—1954; and the “Ancient Documents” series are at the County Records Center and Archives, 27 High St., Poughkeepsie 12601.

B3

Erie

25 Delaware Ave., Buffalo 14202

1821

Niagara

1808

1800, 92 Franklin St., Buffalo 14202

In 1813 the British burned the courthouse in Buffalo, then the seat of Niagara County, destroying records that also included Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

M15

Essex

7559 Court St. , P.O. Box 247, Elizabethtown 12932-0247

1799

Clinton

1799

1803, 100 Court St., P.O. Box 505, Elizabethtown 12932-0505

L14

Franklin

355 W. Main St./P.O. Box 70, Malone 12953-0070

1808

Clinton

1808

1809, 355 W. Main St., Malone 12953

P14

Fulton

223 W. Main St., P.O. Box 485, Johnstown 12095-0485

1838

Montgomery

1838

1838, 223 W. Main St., Johnstown 12095

A4

Genesee

P.O. Box 379, Batavia 14021-0379

1802

Ontario

1803

1805, 1 W. Main St., P.O. Box 462, Batavia 14020-0462

Gloucester

1770

Cumberland

This county ceased to exist when Vermont declared itself a republic 1777—78.

R15

Greene

P.O. Box 446, Catskill 12414-0446

1800

Ulster/Albany

1800

1803, 320 Main St., P.O. Box 469, Catskill 12414-0469

O14

Hamilton

Rt. 8, Box 204, Lake Pleasant 12108

1816

Montgomery

1797

1861, White Birch Lane, P.O. Box 780, Indian Lake 12842-0780

Hamilton remained attached to Montgomery County until 1838 and then briefly to Fulton County. Earlier surrogates’ records are evidently in Montgomery, Fulton, and St. Lawrence counties. See Tree Talks 20 (1980): 166.

P13

Herkimer

County Office Bldg., 109 Mary St., Ste. 111, Herkimer 13350-2923

1791

Montgomery

1804, 1791–98*

1792, 301 N. Washington St., P.O. Box 5550, Herkimer 13350-5550

*Deeds 1791—98 for what became Oneida County are in Utica.

M11

Jefferson

175 Arsenal St., Watertown 13601-2522

1805

Oneida

1805

1805

J2

Kings

360 Adams St., Rm. 189, Brooklyn 11201-3712

1683

original

1683*

1787, 2 Johnson St., Rm. 109, Brooklyn 11201

* At the City Register’s Office, 210 Joralemon St., Rm 2, Brooklyn 11201. Many Surrogate’s files before about 1870 are now at the NYC Archives and on microfilm at the Family History Library.

N12

Lewis

7660 State St., P.O. Box 232, Lowville 13367-0232

1805

Oneida

1805

1805, 7660 State St., Lowville 13367

B5

Livingston

6 Court St., Geneseo 14454-1048

1821

Genesee/Ontario

1821

1821, 2 Court St., Geneseo 14454

Q11

Madison

P.O. Box 668, Wampsville 13163-0668

1806

Chenango

1806

1806, Court St., P.O. Box 607, Wampsville 13163-0607

A5

Monroe

39 West Main St., Rochester 14614

1821

Genesee/Ontario

1821

1824, 541 Hall of Justice, Rochester 14614

Q14

Montgomery

P.O. Box 1500, Fonda 12068-1500

1772

Albany (called Tryon until 1784)

1777

1787, 58 Broadway, P.O. Box 1500, Fonda 12069-1500

H3

Nassau

240 Old Country Rd., Rm. 109, Mineola 11501

1899

Queens

1899

1899, 262 Old Country Rd., Mineola 11501

J2

New York

60 Centre St., Rm. 103B, New York 10007-1402

1683

original

1654*

1665**, 31 Chambers St., Rm. 402, New York 10007

* At the City Register’s Office, 66 John Street, 13th Floor, New York 10038. Early records of the county clerk are in Division of Old Records, 31 Chambers Street, Rm 703. **Pre-1830 Surrogate’s files and inventories are not known to have survived.

A3

Niagara

175 Hawley St., P.O. Box 461, Lockport 14094-0461

1821

Genesee

1821

1821, 175 Hawley St., Lockport 14094

Records for the period 1813—21 are in Buffalo, which was the county seat of Niagara until Erie was created; earlier records were destroyed when the British burned the Buffalo courthouse in 1813.

P12

Oneida

800 Park Ave., Utica 13501-2939

1798

Herkimer

1791–1885*

1798

* At the B-1 Records Center, 800 Park Ave., Utica 13501. Deeds 1886 to present are with the county clerk.

P11

Onondaga

401 Montgomery St., Rm. 200, Syracuse 13202

1794

Herkimer

1784

1796, 401 Montgomery St., Rm. 209, Syracuse 13202-2173

A6

Ontario

20 Ontario St., Canandaigua 14424

1789

Montgomery

1789–1915*

1789–1926*, 27 N. Main St.

*These records–and mortgages to 1920–are at the Ontario County Department of Records, Archives, and Information Management Services, 3051 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua 14424; later deeds and all indexes are at the county clerk’s; later Surrogate’s Court records are at the courthouse, Canandaigua 14424.

U14

Orange

255-275 Main St., Goshen 10924-1621

1683

original

1703

1787, 30 Park Pl., Goshen 10924

A4

Orleans

3 S. Main St., Albion 14411-1449

1824

Genesee

1824

1824

O11

Oswego

46 E. Bridge St., Oswego 13126-2123

1816

Oneida/Onondaga

1791

1816, 25 E. Oneida St., Oswego 13126

Q13

Otsego

197 Main St., P.O. Box 710, Cooperstown 13326-0710

1791

Montgomery

1791

1791, 197 Main St., Cooperstown 13326-1129

U15

Putnam

40 Gleneida Ave., Carmel 10512

1812

Dutchess

1812

1812, 44 Gleneida Ave.

J2

Queens

88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Rm.105, Jamaica 11435

1683

original

1683*

1787**, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Rm. 700, Jamaica 11435

* At the City Register’s Office, 144-06 94th Ave., Jamaica 11435. ** Most or all pre-1830 surrogate’s files were lost or destroyed.

Q16

Rensselaer

105 Third St., Troy 12180

1791

Albany

1791

1794, 72 Second St.

J1

Richmond

130 Stuyvesant Pl. , 2nd Floor, Staten Island 10301

1683

original

1683

1787, 18 Richmond Terrace, Rm. 201, Staten Island 10301-1935

U15

Rockland

1 S. Main St., Ste. 100, New City 10956-3549

1798

Orange

1798

1798, 1 S. Main St., Ste. 27D, New City 10956-3549

L13

St. Lawrence

48 Court St., Canton 13617-2217

1802

Clinton/Herkimer/Montgomery

1802

1803

P15

Saratoga

40 McMaster St., Ballston Spa 12020-1908

1791

Albany

1791

1791, 30 McMaster St., Ballston Spa 12020

Q15

Schenectady

620 State St., Schenectady 12305

1809

Albany

1809

1809, 612 State St., Schenectady 12305-2113

R14

Schoharie

300 Main St. , P.O. Box 549

1795

Albany/Otsego

1795

1795, 290 Main St., P.O. Box 669, Schoharie 12157-0669

R9

Schuyler

105 Ninth St., Box 8, Watkins Glen 14891

1854

Tompkins/Steuben/Chemung

1854

1854, 105 Ninth St.

B7

Seneca

One Di Pronio Dr., Waterloo 13165

1804

Cayuga

1804

1804, 44 W. Williams St., Waterloo 13165

C6

Steuben

3 E. Pulteney Sq., Bath 14810

1796

Ontario

1796

1796

H5

Suffolk

310 Center Dr., Riverhead 11901-3398

1683

original

1683

1787, 320 Center Dr., Riverhead 11901

T13

Sullivan

100 North St., Monticello 12701

1809

Ulster

1809

1811

A fire in 1909 destroyed will volumes 1-7 but all or most of the files survived.

S10

Tioga

P.O. Box 307, Owego 13827-0307

1791

Montgomery

1791

1798, 20 Court St., P.O. Box 10, Owego 13827-0010

The explanation for the delay in the Surrogate’s records is not fully known, but some estate records during this period may have perished in an early fire in Spencer, once the county seat.

R10

Tompkins

320 N. Tioga St., Ithaca 14851

1817

Cayuga/Seneca

1817

1817, 320 N. Tioga St., P.O. Box 70, Ithaca 14851-0070

Tryon

(see Montgomery)

S14

Ulster

244 Fair St., P.O. Box 1800, Kingston 12402-1800

1683

original

1684

1787

O15

Warren

1340 State Rt. 9, Lake George 12845

1813

Washington

1813

1813, 1340 State Rt. 9, Lake George 12845-9803

P16

Washington

383 Broadway, Bldg. A, Fort Edward 12828

1772

Albany (called Charlotte until 1784)

1774

1787, 383 Broadway, Bldg. C

The eastern part of the county became a part of Vermont when it declared itself a republic in 1777—78.

A6

Wayne

9 Pearl St., P.O. Box 608, Lyons 14489-0608

1823

Ontario/Seneca

1823

1823, 54 Broad St., Rm. 106, Lyons 14489

U15

Westchester

110 Dr. Martin , Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains 10601

1683

original

1667–1852*

files, 1775–1910; original wills through 1941;and record books, 1777–1895**

*These records, with indexes for 1680—1897, are held at the Records Center and Archives, 2199 Saw Mill River Rd., Elmsford, NY 10523. Later deed records are with the county clerk (address above). **Later Surrogate Court records are at 140 Grand St., 8th Floor, White Plains, NY 10601.